Biden opposes Israeli ground operation, calls for Lebanon ceasefire

As tensions escalated following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, US President Joe Biden on Monday expressed opposition to Israeli ground operations in Lebanon and urged for a ceasefire.

“I’m more aware than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now,” AFP quoted Biden as saying to reporters when he was asked if he was aware of reports of Israeli plans for a limited operation, and if he was comfortable with one going ahead.

Biden’s remarks came shortly after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was not the final step and hinted at Israel’s intention of mounting a ground invasion of Lebanon, after he told troops in the north of the country that “we will use all of our capabilities – including you.”

“The elimination of Nasrallah is an important step, but it is not the final one. In order to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities, we will employ all of our capabilities, and this includes you,” AFP quoted Gallant as saying.

According to The Guardian report, Gallant said that returning Israelis to their homes in the north – about 60,000 have been forced to evacuate by repeated rocket fire from Lebanon – was “the mission of the IDF.”

“That is what we will do, and we will deploy whatever is needed – you, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and from the land,” he added.

As Israel continues its airstrikes on Lebanon, its operations in Gaza also persist, with reports indicating that 12 people, including a journalist, were killed in strikes on Monday.

In Lebanon, approximately 1,000 people have died, 6,000 have been injured, and around one million have been displaced due to the Israeli bombardment.

Over the weekend, Israel targeted locations in the Houthi-controlled region of Yemen, and on Monday morning, explosions were reported in Damascus, Syria.

With inputs from agencies